SC woman arrested after school shooting April Fool's prank

A report of a shooting at Virginia College in Spartanburg County sent deputies racing to the scene

By Chris Winston
The State

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. — An Upstate woman's April Fool's joke landed her in jail on Tuesday.

A report of a shooting at Virginia College in Spartanburg County sent deputies racing to the scene. Within minutes, however, they found no shooting had taken place.

(Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Image)

Instead, they found a 54-year-old employee of the college, Angela Timmons, had sent a text message to a family member telling them "she was hearing gunshots inside the college and that she was hiding for her own safety," according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

When the family member got no response to a follow-up text, the family member called 911 to report a possible shooting in progress at Virginia College.

When questioned by investigators, Timmons admitted it was an April Fool's prank, according to deputies.